Germany’s Electoral System
1. Which parties were the biggest losers and gainers in seats in the 2017 election? 2. Did the CDU and its sister party CSU win a simple majority (50% +1) of the 709 seat? Explain. 3. What were the only two possible combinations of parties which could form a government with a majority in the Bundestag? What names are given to each possible coalition? 4. Why is it important for German political parties to obtain at least 5% of the national vote or win in at least 3 constituency districts? 5. From the wikipedia article under subheading Results, identify which parties did better winning seats on the party list rather than the constituency seats? 6. From the answers to question 5, suggest reasons why some parties did better on the party list seats. (Hint: use what you learned about the rules of the single-member district system and proportional representation systems from the lecture.)
